Can holder and opener



March 17. 1925.

A. LBRENNER ET AL CAN HOLDER AND OPENER Filed May 27, 1922 mmvrozas I UZ/e y remcr cseZi/z Patented Mar. 11, 1925 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs.

AVERY mvmc BRENNER, or WOONSOCKET, nHonE ISLAND, AND JOSEPH '1. coo BANE, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIAFK CAN HOLDER AND OZPENER.

Application filed May- 27, 1922. Serial No. 564,276.

dence and State of Rhode Island, and.

6 JosErH T. COCHRANE,'Of Philadel hia, in

the county of Philadelphia and state of Pennsylvania, citizens of the United States, have invented new and useful Improvements in a Can Holder and Opener, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in a can'holder and opener, which is particularly adapted for use with cans of eva orated milk or other containers.

holding flu1ds or semi-fluids so as to permit easy handling of a container to pour the contents therefrom.

Another object of our invention is to pro duce a can holder from a single piece of sheet metal so shaped and bent as to provide a base, a head and a handle integral with said base and head, both the base and head having means to engage the edges of a can for retaining the latter in the holder.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder constructed as above mentioned from metal having sufl'icient resiliency to cause the base and head to spring sutfieiently to permit the insertion of a can and thereby cause said elements to grip the ends of a can in such manner as to prevent its accidental displacement.

A further object of our invention is to provide a can ener or perforator pivoted to the head of t e holder so that it may be swung from one side to another in order that perforations may be formed in the can to provide a pouring hole and a vent.

Astill further object of this invention is to provide means for closing the perforations above mentioned when the container is not in use which is accomplished by recessing the head by a concavoconvex portion in the head to snugly set down 11 on the end wall of the can so that when sai can is rotated to bring the perforations beneath the concavo-convex portion said perforations will be closed and thereby prevent foreign matter entering the container or insects reaching the dri pings about the perforations, thus guar mg the contents against contamination.

Another object of our invention is to pro duce the body of the can opener or perforaan of a spring leaf sothat it will wlthdraw from the perforation as the pressure is removed therefrom and when the can opener or perforator is not. in use the punch may rest within the concave portion of the head.

With these ends in View, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, may understand how to make and use the same, we"

will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application, in which i Fig. 1, is a plan view of the can holder and opener embodying our invention.

Fig. 2, is a side elevation thereof showing a can or container therein represented by dotted lines; and

Fig. 3, is a longitudinal sectional view through the head of the holder.

In carrying out our invention as here embodied, 2 represents the base of the can holder which is circular in plan, as will be obvious from Fig. 1, and which may be of solid or skeleton disc form. With the base 2 is formed an integral handle 3 the lower portion of which projects upward vertically or at right angles to the base a sufficient and suitable distance to act as a stop for a container to be placed in the holder, as plainly shown in Fig. 2, while with the upper end of said handle is formed the integral head 4 of curvilinear V shape with the larger portion, at the junction of the head and handle. A certain area of the head 4 is concavo-convex as indicated at 5 and said area is preferably of the same outline as the head, as shown in Fig. 1, although this is not essential and ma be of any desirable shape so long, as it w1ll cover the perforations in the after the manner of a clamp. d v

The base 2 is provided with a numberof upwardly projecting lugs 6 each approximately 120 degrees from the vertical center of the handle and from each other S0 that they will engage the sides of a can to prevent its accidental displacement in connection with similar lugs 7 projecting,

downwardly from the head 4, said last named lugs preferably being three in number and arranged at approximately 120 degrees apart and as here shown the lugs 7 are preferably located in staggered relation to the lugs 6. All of said lugs project from the outer edges of their respective members and the inner surfaces thereof are chamfered or beveled as indicated at 8 in order to center a can or containerplaced in the holder and also that the holder may accommodate containers of slightly varying sizes 01 diameters.

The structure so far described may be used for holding and handling cans or other suitable containers but in order to provide a complete device for handling milk cans and the like we prefer to pivot a can opener or perforator 9 to the head and this can opener or perforator consists of a spring leaf 10 pivoted to the head by means of a rivet or its equivalentwhile the outer or free end carries a punch or perforating barb 12 and a suitable button or finger pad 13 by which the outer or free end of the spring leaf may be depressed in order to force the punch 12 through the can top.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the holder itself may be formed from a single piece of stamped metal which will receive and hold a can shown in dotted lines and designated by the numeral 14 against accidental displacement but which may be readily removed when desired for replacement or other reasons. Although the can cannot he accidentally displaced it is capable of a rotary movement within the holder and therefore when the holes in the top of the can are positioned so as to be outside of the confines of the head the holder with the can therein may be readily tilted sidewise to pour the contents of the can therefrom through one of said holes but when the contents of the can are not to be used said can is rotated to move the holes beneath the head and since the concavo-convex portion of said head fits into the slightly recessed top of the can said concavo-convex outlet and the other a vent.

portion will be in close proximity or in contact with said top wall or effectually close the holes against the entrance of foreign matter and will prevent insects reaching said holes so as to prevent contamination.

The can opener or perforator being pivoted to the head the outer end thereof may he moved from one side to another in order that at least two holes or perforations may be punched in the top at substantially diametrical points oneof which will act as an As the can opener or perforator includes the spring leaf as soon as a hole is punched and the pressure upon the button or finger pad 13 is released the punch 12 will be withdrawn from the perforation until the point of said punch lies above the top of the. can and when so withdrawn the point of the punch should be below the uppermost surface of the head in order that it may be lifted over the higher portions and allowed to rest in the recess of thefconcavo-convex portion of the head, as plainly shown in Fig. 3. This will prevent the can opener or perforator from swinging about'freely so as not to interfere with the free pouring of the contents of the container in the holder.

A holder constructed in the manner herein specified covers only the top and bottom of the container and therefore anyadvertisements, information or recipes contained on a label or wrapper attached to the sides of the can will always be visible.

Of course we do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as here in shown as these may be varied within th limits of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and useful is:

1. A can holder and opener comprising in combination. a base adapted to underlie one end of a. can, a plurality of lugs projectin'g upwardly therefrom for engagement with the edges of one end of the can and having their inner surfaces chamfered to centerthe can, a head adapted to overlie the upper end of a can. a concavo-convex portion formed from said head to snugly fit the upper end of the can, a plurality of downwardly projecting lugs formed with said head in offset or staggered relation to the lugs on the base, said last named lugs having their inner surfaces chamfered for engagement with the edges of the upper end of the can, and a perforator pivoted to the head within the concavo-convex portion, said perforator consisting of a spring leaf, a single punch at its outer or free end adapted to rest within the concavo-convex pora head to engage the other end of the can, to rest within the conca'vo-convex portion of said head having a concave-convex portion, the head when not in use.

:1 handle connected with said base and head, In testimony whereof we have hereunto and a perforator pivoted to the head within afiixed our signatures.

' the concavo-convex portion, said perforator consisting of a, spring leaf and a single AVERY IRVING BRENNER. punch at the outer end of said leaf adapted JOSEPH T. COCHRANE. 

